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My goodness, Friends! It has been A LONG time since I have sat down to think out loud!

SO MUCH has happened! I want to share the major events with you, but really this post is about the NEW ADDITION!!!

OK, the Catch-Up:

I GRADUATED!

I got my teaching license

I HAVE A JOB! As a 3rd grade teacher in the school I have spent most of my life in!

I rode over 100 miles on my motorcycle

My good friends moved back, whom I ride motorcycles with.

I’m working out with the Beachbody cult, trying my hardest to stay active and make good eating choices.

I have had SO MANY life things come up I find it hard to believe I’m on “Summer Vacation”, but I also went to Vegas again, and this time I saw Britney!

Ok, here’s the meat of the deal!

We finally started the addition. They poured the basement, almost a month ago, it has been finished for a couple of weeks now, but that was really nothing to start posting about. We have had SO MUCH rain and it kept putting the project off, so I just ignored that it was even happening.

They now have the basement support beams up as well as the main part of the main sub floor. So we are already talking window and door placement with the contractor! It’s starting to become VERY real.

With thoughts about the windows and doors it made me realize that I need to get on the ball with what kind of decor I will be wanting, specifically in the bathroom! (The other rooms will be made to match the rest of the house as far as wood floors and white trim go, but I am aiming for a different wall color!)

So I am going to share with you my collage and inspiration rooms. I’m probably over confident in the possibilities, but it’s better for me to push for it and express my creativity than just let in sit bottled up and hate myself later for not speaking up. But everyone has a budget they are working with.

I also want to mention that our addition is 44 X 24. The living area in general will be about 20 X 20, the bedroom 15 X 20, and a spacious closet and bathroom fit in there as well, with enough room for a big shower and separate tub!

First I will start with the rooms that inspired me! These rooms are the overall feeling I would like to have.

I fell in LOVE with the bold tile, white walls, oil rubbed bronze and glass fixtures, and worn wood in these rooms. In the second photo, you can see a colorful curtain from Anthro. I won’t have a shower curtain, but this helped solidify my dreams of having Mexican tin/tile mirrors in the room. The colors do work well with the worn wood, and this bold pattern on the curtain shows me that it’s ok to go bold! Just not tile, and curtains, and towels, and walls, and everything else… First and second photos are my main squeeze.

Next would have to be this shower. It has been a struggle for me to find a design that I thought Michael would like, but would blend well with my style. He is all about the expensive flashy hotel look. Sleek and modern. Which is why I think this shower is a great compromise. The wood-look tile is rustic enough, but the over all clean lines lend to his style. The shower we will have will actually be glass on two sides, in my mind anyway, and with a bench. I’m convinced, at the moment, that this tile will fit the scheme because of the tile they use in the same photograph. It is a bold graphic print, but in grey.

I can imagine having a more affordable shower floor, like a fiberglass tray bottom. This wold help with costs, but not sacrifice over all style, and probably be easier for me to keep from molding/mildewing. Or maybe tile is a better buy! I don’t know numbers yet, but we will see!

So below you will see a collage of items that help create the look I want.

I’m so very proud of this design. For the first time ever I feel like all my favorite styles have been expertly blended: Fixer Upper (with a mild amount of white farmhouse look), Anthroplogie, Target, and ethnic pieces.

For now they are building, but it won’t be long and I will be having my very own DEMO DAY! They will be tearing down a wall to connect things so I’m pretty excited about that!

I’m still forever away from creating collages for my living and bedroom. We will be using our current furniture for a LONG time, but I will be getting area rugs and curtains promptly, so perhaps I will make collages of ideas I have with those items!

My life is pretty exciting. I seem like a pretty boring person, but when you wrap up my years… and check-off things like learning to ride and buying a Harley, riding on the back of a Harley to Colorado, visiting Las Vegas via road trip through the southwest, and the multitude of shenanigans I’ve been in… It’s pretty great.

But this ice storm, friends, was one for the books.

It actually got me excited instead of scared.

I’m the outdoorsy type. All YEAR= CAMPING!

SPRING/SUMMER = Hate shoes. Hate pants. Love being free in nature.

FALL/WINTER= Bring on the campfires!

So cabin life seems like the life for me. Even in the winter.

This event gave me a great glimpse into real life in a cabin in the woods, or life in the past.

At our house we lost electricity for almost EXACTLY 3 days. Thankfully we have a gas stove and a brand spanking newly insulated home, so we survived the first night in the cold house and were able to cook our meals, but we sought refuge with family for sleep the next two nights as the thermostat crept below 45.

There was wifi. But not enough technology to allow me to get any work done. Besides there were tons of baby evergreens to save from the weight of the ice!

I didn’t have to care about my looks, just about being warm and staying positive. And all in all I enjoyed the experience. I was able to do yoga, make coffee on the stove-top, and enjoy Michael’s company by candlelight.

Can I write a personal post, for a change and an update? Well, of course I can. I have been busy with my classes this semester (big surprise right?), and it’s only just the beginning for me. On the plus side being busy keeps me from thinking that something is missing in my life. On the down side it has taken me over a month to adjust to the new schedule and teachers.

Michael started his new job and the shop, where I work, closes an hour earlier now, so both of us are off at 5! I also have a come-to-Jesus with my Educational Psychology homework. We were not doing well together. I realized that I needed to be motivated, whether I felt like it or not. So far it seems to have made a great difference. I will truly know when I get my grade back on an upcoming project.

As far as farmhouse items go, I have been busy decorating and perfecting for Autumn, when I can be. I am almost ready to take some photographs. I think I will go ahead and do this Sunday or Monday, my days off. The weekend after next I will get to decorate the front “porch”. I’m so much further behind everyone else, but I have homework that is tons more important and a new house that deserves so much more than many of my dinky apartment decorations. If you follow my Instagram you can see a few sneak peeks.

In the way of fitness. I dropped off just before September. I am making an effort to regroup very soon. I miss running. and now that schedules are syncing and flowing I think I will be able to get back with it. Especially with food planning. I get very mental about things you see and it causes me to withdraw. I call it being lazy. I am lazy. But it’s more likely often a result of my anxiety. I throw lots of pity parties for myself, mentally.

As for other things in my life… it’s always quite interesting! I have been Happy Planning away, I decorated for and witnessed a wedding at the Harley Shop, I have been to Colorado on the motorcycle (hope to share pictures with you soon as well!), went shopping with my mom for all things great, I have been in an amazing classroom for my internship and taught some lessons, and I continue to find ways to improve after being in a slump!

Some of the changes I have made, which really are just adulting:

Buying groceries with a plan. I haven’t really been doing this. I have been relying on Michael to come up with ideas for dinner and grill. So I was quite proud when I bought myself some breakfast foods, some snacks for both of us and dinner for two meals this week. I didn’t even break the bank! When Michael came home from work, the chicken and dumplings were ready to eat! It was a perfect Monday. I hope to keep this going.

Syncing schedules has helped a ton. I have so far been able to convince Michael to help me clean up after dinner, and we have been eating at the table. He helps wash some of the dishes which is better than nothing and I super appreciate it. I’m able to put leftovers away and dry them and then finish the rest. He also takes out the trash the majority of the time.

Doing my homework with a plan in mind. When I started visiting a friend regularly, sort-of, I felt the need to get certain homework items out of the way earlier than my normal procrastinating self does. And somehow I stuck with it. Now I get the discussion boards done a day early, and after my problems with Ed Psych I’m reading that text book through out the week rather than the couple of days before things are due. I tell you it feels great at the end of the evening when it’s 9:30-10:00 and I’m able to stop and relax and read a fun book or watch a show with out any stress. Often I can even not do any homework Friday or Saturday because I am far enough ahead! It’s really rewarding.

And a simple change in setting for homework has done wonders. I began reading my Ed Psych text at the table to give me a greater sense of importance. I was not giving it enough attention on the couch. I began reading and highlighting and making note-cards for vocabulary and even rereading for summarize the major chucks of concepts they want us to be able to explain. It’s been fantastic. So yes, I do my homework in three different places at home!

Of course having my Happy Planner has helped me. I keep track of my homework using the side bar. Other important dates, to-do’s, or what homework I feel like concentrating on that night get written in the regular daily part.

All in all, I’m sad that it has taken me so long to realize how great it feels to not be a procrastinator, but I know in my heart I will always be fighting this! Thankfully I know what needs to be done to get on track, up so speed, and ahead of the deadlines! And maybe this information makes me seem really ridiculous, oblivious, or even naive and child like. I’m ok with that. We all fight our own battles. My life has been relatively easy, especially working at a Harley shop, but being in school gives me more responsibility, and it’s only going to increase. I just wanted to share some things that I have found help me function at home and with homework a little bit better.

Well friends, in my last post I shared a fabulous table I purchase with the help of an amazing little blessing.. So, basically, all of my farmhouse decor wishes were answer…

HA!

Of course I’m always thinking of what else I could possibly have to bring me to the level of white and farmhouse I’m searching for.

I have not yet purchased anything from my January Lust List, but in the last two months I’ve had a lot of time to window shop! My goal again is to create a list of someday items that I have a good feeling about and others that I could purchase next paycheck if I so desired… I tend to get distracted at Hobby Lobby though!

1. Galvanized Pedestal/Cake Stand

I have seen several variations of these. This set is from Antique Farmhouse and the solo one is available at World Market. I can see placing a white pitcher full of lavender or wheat on it. It would be great in the awkward corner of the kitchen.

2. Metal Laundry Basket

As far as design and function go, I think it would be nice to have a laundry basket that is kept in the laundry room to help on big laundry days when there is lots of sorting and overflow to deal with. I would really like to have one of those vintage style ones that have legs to bring the clothing up higher, but they are pricey. There are also many other places to by this style of laundry basket, but at less than $20, Walmart wins.

(Speaking of the laundry room, I can’t wait to share mine with you all! We are making some progress!)

3. Accordion Drying Rack

Farm life has it’s perks… And one of those pastoral/not so realistic ones for the modern woman is drying clothes on a clothesline. Yes of course we have one, but I am rarely home during the day to dry things outside. My life is sporadic and I often have to do laundry when it’s inconvenient to use the clothesline. I work 9-6, Tuesday-Saturday… My Sundays are split between playtime and housework, so the clothesline will get used some, this is just another option that will get use A LOT. I’m VERY thankful my someday mother-in-law is helping me get this in the laundry room.

4. New Bedding

I am inspired by this photo for my bedding. I just love how simple it is. No fuss, except to keep the dog from snagging the threads! This creamy quilt will work nicely to throw my current duvet over in the winter. I’m hoping to find a nice big chunky afghan for accent at the foot of the bed. Some pillowcases with a small amount of frill such as crochet or a very simple linen ruffle… ahhh farmhouse heaven!

5. Small Flower Pots

I’m hoping to grow maybe 3 herbs in the kitchen this summer: Basil, Oregano, and Chives…? I haven’t really decided yet! But these little pots are available at my favorite shop in town! You can also find them at Farmhousewares.com. Or perhaps I will decide on different pots to plant my herbs in, but these are definitely darling!

And just like that it was time to brighten things up around the farmhouse and celebrate spring and the resurrection. A little here, a little there.

Don’t tell anyone, but Im starting to get fond of this ugly old headboard. It’s become quite the work-horse! Alas, I must wait to find the right furniture for this room because after a few months or so it will be serving as our dining room! No sense rushing out to find something for a space you can’t predict.

Again, I just love using printables and whatever scrapbook paper is around to give them a personal touch. The dandelion print was a gift, the fauna were thrifted many moons ago and the white deer is definitely in my top ten of favorite things to decorate with.

The mossy friends have been EVERYWHERE in the farmhouse circle. Grabbed the last two at my local Hobby Lobby. Score. Wood candle holders and hobnail candle are from The Faithful Farmhouse, a local shop that sells handmade items like my GIANT gather sign in the kitchen as well as many items from Creative Co-op.

This tray in the kitchen is always the most fun and easy to fix up! I love the ease of using my everyday pieces and mixing in a few small seasonal things.

I created this embroidered image myself. Back when Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros had just come out with this song and I was swooning. Times were so different then! I was Tumblr-in’…#hipster much? Things never change… I still love my pretentious records!

I decided to give the classic blue color a try for the mason jar. I saw some of the “eggs in a jar” at Hobby Lobby and thought eh, I can make up my own! Burlap plant is The Faithful Farmhouse.

In the spring, lilac is an absolute must for me. Nothing brings back such tender wonder-filled memories as the scent of lilacs. We had a row of them in our backyard in the part of the yard I call ed my secret garden. Next would have to be the honeysuckle in grandpa’s backyard.

Again with the printable, and behold: deer shed! I knew eventually I would get my hands on some. This piece was given to me as a hat for my dog… My boss is hilarious.

The small moss bunnies and nests are from Hobby Lobby and they are just the perfect size to tuck into the nooks and crannies. Again I wasn’t trying to go too overboard with the Easter/Spring stuff… Michael is probably like “What is with all the froofroo stuff?!” These little guys were actually plant fronds…? If thats what they are called… They are made to be stuck into floral arrangements. So, I took the long wires off or curled them around under and voila!

I feel like the most blessed person right now. Even amidst my trivial trials I see so many good little things that happen in my life and find myself quietly saying “Thank goodness for…”

This last weekend I was the first prize winner of a gift certificate to my FAVORITE store in Dodge, Boot Hill Antiques! (Where The Faithful Farmhouse is). So I thought it was a sign to go ahead and buy the one purchase I NEVER thought I would be able to, and probably still shouldn’t have, but eh… Go with it when it’s good!

So I feel like I am a giant leap closer to something. The look I want to achieve? SOMETHING. An man… There’s some major curving in these photos. I guess I will start looking into wide angle lenses… Sheesh…

It’s way over due, but I had to share this years St. Paddy’s decor. This is the first time I have ever decorated for St. Pat’s and, unless I have a good handful of people over, i will probably keep it at a minimum! I’m definitely beginning to get “holiday-ed” out!

But as I am a wee bit Irish myself, I must partake in the observance of it.

I’m not downing kegs of green beer, but I like to play with all of the traditions, and every year I learn a little bit more.

I love that this holiday is really more of an Irish-American phenomenon. The foods we eat are not generally prominent in Ireland. There’s a ton of comparisons and facts online. BUT… whether we are talking true Irish or Irish-American aren’t all of us irish and part Irish people a little bit of both? We have ancestors from the mother land and those that came here, I mean that’s how we ended up here after all!

So YES! EAT the eats, DRINK the drinks, and WEAR the GREEN!

The food I made was a fiasco that I don’t really wish to reflect on, but we DID eat Corned Beef and Cabbage, Soda Bread, and Bread Pudding. I also have a ton of recipes for the future to sprinkle into every day life. I can’t believe I haven’t tried making Shepard’s Pie yet!

When decorating I am a HUGE fan of free printables on Pinterest! I do NOT claim this print as my own, but it is easy to find there and adds some instant charm and fills up a good amount of decorative space. Makes them however big or little you need and jazz them up. I may start keeping a folder of them all together for easy access.

So whether the meal was a fiasco or not, I still feel so blessed. I get excited when I am able to claim my own heritage. We spend so much time learning about the importance of diversity and immersing ourselves into other cultures, but we should definitely reflect on our own as well! The banner I made up above was done using some antique postcard images found online and washi taped to some spare paper and then taped to twine. I love a quick and dirty DIY!

Hey everyone! It’s been a minute, but I’m still here! I’m having a series of days that are just eye-rollable. For example I spent most of the day yesterday catching up on laundry while I cleaned the bathroom and washed dishes. I did SO. MUCH. LAUNDRY.

BUT I’ve gotten some awesome things done around here, not that it’s ready to be photographed for Better Homes and Gardens #crylaughemoji

I thought I’d share a few pictures from my regular life because I have been too busy to pause to write and photograph thoughtfully.

I really have just been busy doing chores, unpacking and cleaning, and most importantly beginning my new internships for teaching! (I’m not a student teacher yet, these are what you do before then.) Staying on top of my homework while working 40 hrs is important especially with internships.

I got myself a few new tops. The main reason for this was because I wanted shirts with higher necklines so I wouldn’t have to worry about bending over. I have also purged my wardrobe of the things I found were not fitting my lifestyle/job/comfort anymore because it’s good for me and because of sharing a closet with Michael and decided to be a free spirited hippie type this spring. (Again, none of these will be very good pictures…)

The students were allowed to celebrate the Super Bowl with team colored cupcakes… So I had the choice of dark blue or black… I got black and looked like Tia Dalma for the rest of the day.

The house has been quite the mess, but yesterday my honey checked off the list! His family helped us hang up three major pieces of wall art! Now I get to obsess over things as I can start putting them into place better.

Gotta love Snoopy, passed out on the couch. I know, it’s overwhelming!

Here it is currently.

Chalkboard and GATHER is UP! I want to get some metal chairs, console table, white curtains (the tie-up kind) and MAYBE a rug… It’s so easy to clean the way it is so I’m not sure.

A cute decorative spot on the kitchen counter. I’d like to find a picture for behind it, then to the right will be a metal basket for coffee, the Keurig, and mug tree.

“My Office” ha… It’s a mess in here, but it’s happy! And I’m thankful I have a space to study. At least that area is being managed.

I spruce it up best I can.

Got one window covered! The bedroom window, weeee! It was yellow before! Made the room a strange green color hehe.

The living room in not quite this clean right now, but lets revel in this moment! I can’t wait to find a substitution for that footstool. I’ll be putting up curtains and I haven’t decided on shelves or wall art. We need a place for the play station and shelves could make that possible, PLUS they would be fun to decorate for the holidays.

My MAGNIFICENT mirror!

The last picture shows the old headboard under the mirror. I want to put a console table so oddly enough this gives me an idea! I cant let it be too deep, this is 8 inches. I was planning on ten, but I think 8 will be better. There is enough space to put candles and pictures and a skinny tray and figures.

The blue rooms will be painted someday, if I haven’t mentioned so before… It will be the hardest thing to get Michael to change.. Well the lighting in the kitchen and bathroom too…SOMEday!

I still have such a long ways to go to get the things I have settled and finish cleaning out my apartment before I can get too excited about big furniture purchases. So I dream out loud A LOT!

Here are some pieces I want to get from the antique store.

Bucket for blankets in the living room!

And some living room inspiration. I have NO idea what to put above the couch!

And some inspiration. Color splash! I’m seeing aqua pop up in the bathroom and kitchen.

Things I’m loving:

This darling bench… I’m needing something for the mud room to sit on and put shoes/boots under.

2. This sweet little girlie 🙂 This is my dog Pippi and she looked so cute sitting in the middle of the back seat of Michael’s truck.

3. And Moscow Mules! How did I NOT know about these!!! Ginger beer has always been may favorite. I’m going to have to find some copper mugs now! Decorative AND functional!

I’m REALLY hoping to get a Valentine’s Day craft done in the next couple of days, so I will definitely share that with you all!